Bill Walsh Dies, Greg Takes the Lead

Former San Francisco 49er coaching great Bill Walsh died on Monday. He had been battling Leukemia.

Walsh led the 49ers to three Superbowl victories, two of them over the Bengals. Although he was credited as an offense genius, on his deathbed he wanted to be sure to thank Louis Breeden for the Superbowl XXIII victory.

His death gives Greg the lead in the Circling Buzzards. Would he trade another Death Pool victory for a Bengals Championship?

Greg Gets Close

Tammy Faye Messner (Baker) died on Friday. The former wife of televangelist Jim Baker had been battling colon cancer for years. She was 65.

At the announcement of her death, several cosmetic companies saw a severe drop in the price of their stocks.

Her death is worth 35 points for Greg. He is now only one good death away from taking the lead away from Izzy.

SON OF A BI**

The wife of President Lyndon Johnson died on Wednesday. Ladybird, who has been a death pool favorite for years, passed at home amongst family members. She died of natural causes, but had suffered a stroke in 2002. She was 94.

Her death increases Izzy's total to 89. Although the lead is not insurmountable, it is definitely strong.

Izzy pads his lead

Ruth Graham died on Thursday. She was the wife of famous (infamous?) preacher Billy Graham. She had been bedridden with osteoarthirtis for months, and contracted pneumonia a few weeks ago. She had requested, in agreement with her family, to stop receiving nutrients from a feeding tube several days ago. She was 87 years old.

The additional 13 points gives Izzy a total of 83 points at nearly the half-way mark of the season. While anything is possible, his lead may prevail.

Although I'm hoping her husband can't live without her, his measly 11 points would still leave me in last place.

The Great State of Wyoming Cast 26 Votes for Izzy

Wyoming Sen. Craig Thomas, a three-term conservative Republican died Monday. He was 74.

Thomas entered Congress in a special election in 1989 to replace Dick Cheney when the future vice president was named defense secretary by the first President Bush. Thomas won that race with 52 percent of the vote.

The senator's family issued a statement saying he died Monday evening at National Naval Medical Center in Bethesda, Md. He had been receiving chemotherapy for acute myeloid leukemia.

Just before the 2006 election, Thomas was hospitalized with pneumonia and had to cancel his last campaign stops. He nonetheless won with 70 percent of the vote, monitoring the election from his hospital bed. Two days after the election, Thomas announced that he had just been diagnosed with leukemia.